Unrequited- Yasuhara and Kasai Oneshot
by LiTori
Summary: We all have secrets hidden under a mask. For a long time, she thought that her love was unrequited, just a passing fancy. Turns out she was dead wrong.
1. First Meetings

The first time Kasai Chiaki saw him, he was laughing with his friends at a side table over a cup of coffee.

Kasai had found the cafe a few months after the case at her school. The common rooms had mysteriously become full, and seats were always taken in the library. So, the cafe had become one of her favourite haunts to do her homework. The owner was kind and let her sit at a small, out-of-the-way table, just next to the kitchen doors. The staff liked her, and some of them, mostly college students, helped her with her homework during their time off.

The young man was joking with two other students from his school, the light reflecting off his glasses. He had a quicksilver smile, and an easy-going aura that put everyone around him to ease. His friends were bent double with laughter as the grey-haired teen described a scene with his hands, gesturing wildly and pulling faces, making his friends cry.

_He's pretty cute, as far as boys go._ Kasai thought. Instantly, she shook her head slightly, disgusted with herself. She had come here to study school work and college entrance exams, not boys. Ripping her eyes away from the hilarious scene, she turned her somewhat divided attention back to her calculus homework. Finals were coming up, and she needed good grades so that she could get into the university of her choice. But her mind was always aware of the teen with the glasses, laughing in the corner with his friends.

* * *

The second time she had seen him, she was being shown around her new school.

Kei-sensei had finally left, the guilt of cursing the students eating away at her soul. A new biology teacher had come, and had hated Kasai from the first day. He picked on Kasai constantly. The other students were at first wary- this was the girl who had cursed a teacher to death- but gradually, the whispers began. Small things, like the curses from awhile ago, and the school curse. Then, it got worse.

People were blaming her for Kei-sensei leaving, and some of the teachers were suspicious of her excellent grades. Kid began to accuse her of cheating, and the teachers were no better. Anger had been sitting cold inside of Kasai since the SPR team had come, but now, with the whispers beginning again, and no teacher to help her, it began to heat up. Rumours that were being spread only added fuel to the fire.

It wasn't long before Kasai snapped.

During a particularly bad Biology lesson, in which the teacher accused her of cheating on the test due to her perfect score, she had lost it.

His coffee cup had shattered all over his lap, spilling the hot beverage over his pants, and the whiteboards had rattled. There was a nervous silence while Kasai had packed up her books and stood to leave. She had stalked out of the classroom angrily, mind not registering that the door was now open, when it had been shut at the very start of the lesson.

Standing in the empty hallway, she cursed at her foolishness. Her mother would definitely be hearing of this, and that last thing Kasai needed was the angry rants from her mother that she was bound to receive. If her mother could be bothered to get her nose out of her wine glass or bottle. Kasai decided to go home early, and then head to the cafe.

When she had reached the dingy apartment that she lived in with her mother, Kasai had tiptoed quickly past her mother, who was passed out on the couch, and locked herself in her room, which doubled as the office. Not that her mother used to office; she was too lazy. Her father had left during the case at her school, sick of her mother's drinking habits. He hadn't taken Kasai with him, something Kasai was bitter about.

So, Kasai had enrolled herself into the only other school she knew; Rokuryo High School, where the boy she had seen went to, judging by his uniform. She had forged her mother's signature on the guardian/parent forms. Sadly, she'd had a lot of practise. The principal was clueless as to what she'd done, and the school counsellor was a moron. When they had asked her where her mother was, she simply shrugged and replied

"At work."

They believed her, and had started to show her around. Turning a corner, she saw _him._ His face was hidden behind a stack of books, and he seemed intent on either getting to a study hall or a class. Noticing her gaze, the principal had grunted.

"Our school President, Yasuhara Omasu." The principal and the counsellor had walked on, with Kasai following, but her mind was definitely elsewhere. Possibly following the gray-haired teen down the hallway. Now, she had a name.

_Yasuhara Omasu._


	2. New School

The third time she had seen him, she was walking into her first class.

Thankfully, it was Biology, one of her better classes, so she hoped that she wouldn't make a fool out of herself.

He was sitting in the middle with one of the two friends that she had seen with him at the cafe. He, as with the rest of the class, were trying, and failing, not to stare at her.

She straightened her spine and lifted her chin slightly. She lived with a drunken mother and a curse that ruined her reputation, a new school was going to be easy.

The teacher gestured for her to take a seat, giving Kasai a reassuring smile. Kasai made a beeline for the spare seat by the window. The teacher waited for her to get settled, and began to take the roll. Her voice reminded Kasai of Kei-sensei, but it had more enthusiasm and life in it. The work was the same topic that she was doing at her old school, so she was reasonably up to date.

Her mind, however, was painfully aware of Yasuhara Omasu sitting near her; one row across and two seats down from her.

* * *

The fourth time she had seen him, she was in church.

Her mother had been particularly bad that morning, and being in the same house with her had made Kasai fell unclean.

Her family had never been very religious, but for the first time in forever, Kasai had gone to church. There had been a foreigner taking the service; he was talking about how God loved everyone, even the sinners.

Kasai didn't know what classified people as sinners, but she figured that she was one, if you went by the amount of lies that she had said over the past year.

Soon, he left to take Sunday school, and two people had gotten up to help him with the horde of children that positively stampeded out the door. One was a brunette who looked eerily familiar to Kasai, and the other was Yasuhara. A lot of the girls went to the brunette, called her...

Mai-chan?

Kasai hid her face behind her bangs as they went past, trying not to be seen. She relaxed slightly, and listened to the next priest speak.

When mass was over, she went outside, trying to clear her head. She had connected instantly with what the mass was about, and had left it feeling better. She could still see the foreigner, Mai and Yasuhara talking and laughing about someone called "Naru".

Kasai smiled sadly; it would be nice to have someone to laugh with. Her thought turning gloomy at the thought of going home to her drunken mother and no food, she turned towards her apartment and trudged through the thick blanket of leaves that had started to cover the ground.

* * *

The fifth time she had seen him, apart from school, was at the youth group that had started up.

The foreigner had led it for the first night, and Kasai learned that his name was John Brown. Another person who turned up was Masako Hara and Mai. They were apparently good friends of Brown-san. Yasuhara was also there, and he was playing pranks on other people the whole time.

The youth group was pretty much about meeting new people, and learning about things that were relevant to teenagers in today's world, and that was very interesting. Kasai had started to attend church regularly on Sundays, mainly to keep out of her mother's way after a Saturday night, but also to find a little bit of peace. The youth group now took up her Saturday evenings, with church the next morning. Kasai was welcomed in church, she felt safe and secure there.

Such a pity that she couldn't say the same thing about her own home.


	3. Run Away

The sixth time she had seen him, she had finally had enough of her mother.

Coming home drunk, and with a grown man who was equally drunk, Kasai lost it. Especially when the man chased her to her room, trying to grab her. Kasai had locked her door behind her, and had grabbed all her school books, most of her clothes and a few personal things, and put them in a bag. Climbing out of her window, she ran down the fire escape. She ran blindly down the footpath, glad she hadn't changed out of her jeans and a hoodie. Her feet carried her to the one place she had felt safe.

Church.

The foreigner was there, along with some other people she didn't recognise. Kasai ducked back behind the wall, and slid down it, flicking her hood up over her eyes. She was stupid. 17 and nowhere to go. Maybe she could ask the café manager for a job, and find a cheap place to live somewhere. Footsteps sounded next to her, and then stopped.

"Chiaki-san? What are you doing out here?" It was Father Brown. Kasai shook her head, the pent up tears trickling down her cheeks.

"It doesn't matter, I'll be leaving soon." There was a rustle of movement, and then Father Brown's face appeared at the edge of her vision.

"It's a sin to lie, you know." Kasai winced at the accent, and the truth behind his statement,

"Your accent is terrible." She commented, before she could stop herself. Father Brown laughed.

"So I've been told before. Come inside, and tell me what happened."

Gently, he helped her to her feet. Kasai picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, following the blonde-haired priest. He led her into the main part of the church, where an older man was sitting at prayer. Father Brown gestured for her to wait, and walked up slowly behind the man.

"Father Tojo, we have a visitor."

The man looked up.

"Ah, Chiaki-san. So good of you to join us. May I ask child, what brings you to the church at this hour?"

Kasai broke at the sound of this man's voice. She found herself confessing everything; the curse at her school, her meeting with SPR, her mother, the man who tried to touch her, the bullying she had received, the accusations from the teachers about being a cheat, Kei-sensei leaving and finally, how she had run away.

Kasai was crying by the time she had finished, the tears that had been pent up for so long finally winning their freedom. Father Tojo and Father Brown exchanged glances. Kasai looked at them, desperate.

"Don't let them put me in the system." She whispered. Father Brown put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Child, you are in a church. The system doesn't extend to within our walls." Father Tojo stated. Kasai nodded.

"Thank you." Father Brown ran a hand through his already messy blonde hair.

"Now all we have to do is find somewhere for you to stay." As if on cue, Father Brown's cellphone rang.

"Hello?" Father Brown gestured for them to wait.

"Yes, I'm coming home. No, I'm not leaving now. I'm a little tied up at the moment. Yes, Yasu, I would mind if you brought home a girl to stay the night." Kasai and Father Tojo exchanged glances.

"No, if she's not answering the phone, maybe she's avoiding you. I'll be back at around ten-ish, and I don't want to see a girl there. Yasu, I'm not letting you off the hook this time; you know the rules. Yes, I have eaten. Don't wait up. Bye." Father Brown rolled his eyes.

"My flatmate."He said by way of explanation.

"Would you mind if Chiaki-san stayed the night at your flat, John-san? We could then try and find her a place tomorrow." Father Tojo suggested. Father Brown nodded, but shot Kasai a concerned glance.

"I will warn you in advance though. My flatmate is a bit of a ladies man."

So, that was where Kasai found herself later that night. Inside Father Brown's flat, sleeping on the couch. It was a nice flat, with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and a bench for eating on. Father Bro..._John-san_, had warned her in advance, but there was no getting over the shock that his flatmate was _Yasuhara Omasu_. The look on his face had been priceless, when she had walked in with Father Brown.

"I thought we weren't allowed girls in the flat, unless accompanied by another person?" He had said, thunderstruck. Father Brown had simply rolled his eyes.

"Chiaki-san is staying here until tomorrow, when Father Tojo and I will hopefully find her a place to stay. For now, she's crashing here. No,' Father Brown put up a hand to forestall Yasuhara's question,'she is not staying in your room, she's on the couch. End of discussion." Kasai stifled giggles at the sight of Yasuhara's face.

"What discussion?" he muttered. He looked at Kasai and winked at her. Kasai looked back at him and smirked, raising an eyebrow. He looked slightly disgruntled that she hadn't fawned over him, but Kasai couldn't deal with overly flirtatious boys at present time. She had slept on the, surprisingly, comfortable couch in the small living room. None of the men snored, for which she was grateful for.

It would only remind her of her mother and the men that she often brought home.


	4. A Full Circle

The seventh time she had seen him, he was at the cafe again.

Kasai had ended up living with the cafe manager, who had also given her a job. The college students were happy to have her as part of the team, and helped her catch up on her school work. Father Brown and Father Tojo invited her to Bible Study on Tuesday's, and school study groups on Thursday's.

Kasai had never felt happier. She had a job, people who acted like her family, and a place to stay. Her grades were high, her schoolwork was perfect, and her job was fantastic. The manager treated her like a daughter, and supported her decisions. She hadn't seen much of Yasuhara, being busy earning her keep.

Some of the college girls who worked at the cafe took her out on movie nights or shopping trips. Kasai laughed as they tried to flirt with the boys, and tried on ridiculous outfits.

Her family was slightly dysfunctional. The college students were like her brothers and sisters, and Father Brown and Father Tojo were like her protective uncles. The manager was like an aunt, or sometimes an older sister, but Kasai didn't care.

He was sitting with his friends again, this time slightly more sombre, but still with that quicksilver grin. She overheard his friends teasing him about being lovesick, but he brushed it off. Kasai took a deep breath, and walked over to their table.

"Hi, can I get you anything?" One of the boys looked at her and whistled.

"Yeah, how about a one night stand to go?" One of the college boys who had been collecting plates shot him a glare, but Kasai nodded reassuringly to him. She turned her attention back to the table.

"Sorry, I have Bible Study tonight, and one night stands aren't on the menu." There was a snigger from the table next to them, and a sandy-haired man bent double to hide his laughter. The red haired woman with him also sniggered, her hand up by her mouth.

"Well, how about Wednesday's?" Kasai rolled her eyes.

"Take a hint; I'm not interested. Would you like to order, or would you like to leave?" The boy slouched in his seat, beaten. Yasuhara peered at her.

"Kasai-chan?" Kasai shot him a glare that would have frozen Hell.

"Chiaki-san, if you please. I don't like people using my first name without permission." Yasuhara simply shrugged, and the windows frosted over slightly. Kasai took a deep breath to control herself. Yasuhara looked at the menu.

"Could I please get an iced-tea?" Kasai nodded and wrote it down. She turned to the other boy.

"Would you like anything?" The boy shrugged and moved his fingers towards Yasuhara. Kasai frowned, and then she realized something.

_He was deaf_.

Kasai waved her hand to get his attention, and then quickly signed her question, glad that her old school had taught sign language. The boy smiled at her, and pointed to the iced chocolate on the menu. Kasai smiled at him and wrote it down. She then turned to the boy that was flirting with her.

"Do you want anything _on the menu?"_ She emphasized the last few words to avoid a repeat of before. The boy scowled and then asked for an iced coffee. Kasai wrote it down, and then walked back to the kitchen.

She was agonizingly aware of the way Yasuhara's eyes followed her, even though she had closed the kitchen doors behind her.


	5. Leaves

The eighth time she saw him, she was walking home from school, laughing and kicking at leaves with one of the college girls who had just come from classes.

It was Kasai's day off, and she was walking through the park with Emi, one of the regulars at the cafe. Emi was 21, tall, had long, straight black hair and indigo eyes, and was studying fashion design at college. She drew a lot of stares as she walked past boys, but Emi's heart was fixed on the most unlikely of candidates; a tall, gangly college student called Taro, who majored in computer science.

Kasai saw him, reading a book on the park bench with the deaf friend, who was also reading. They were both sitting in silence, but the deaf boy and Yasuhara were sitting close together, either to share in each other's warmth, or to just be in each others company. They both wore glasses, so Kasai assumed that the deaf boy's were only for reading.

Yasuhara seemed to notice her gaze on him, because he looked up. Kasai immediately shrieked as Emi stuffed a handful of wet leaves down the back of her shirt. Vowing revenge, Kasai grabbed a handful and stuffed it down the back of Emi's shirt, sticking it behind the scarf that she wore. Emi squealed, and chased after Kasai, who ran away, laughing.

They drew even more stares from people, but Kasai didn't care any more. Her view of how people saw her went out the window as soon as she ran away.

She was always conscious of Yasuhara and his friend watched her, sitting on their bench underneath a giant tree that was slowly losing its leaves.

* * *

The ninth time she saw him, he asked her out on a date.

She was in the park again, talking with another regular, Rukia. Rukia was 23, short, bubbly, with choppy purple hair and pink highlights. Her green eyes were always planning the next prank on her workmates.

He had approached her when she had sat down with Rukia to discuss her calculus homework, as Rukia was majoring in accounting and tertiary education. Rukia had a way that made everything understandable, and she gave it to Kasai straight, not filled with complicated words that she didn't understand.

"Chiaki-san, can I talk to you for a second?" Kasai looked up, and tilted her head, making her bangs fall over her eyes.

"What about?" Yasuhara looked thrown for a second, and then his expression cleared.

"It's about the Autumn Equinox festival the school is holding. Someone mentioned that you like to sing?" Rukia giggled, and stood up.

"I'm all done with her, she's all yours."

"Rukia!" Kasai hissed. Rukia smirked at her and threw her a wink and a wave.

"See ya later Kasai!" she called, skipping away. Kasai blinked, and then crossed her arms.

"You might as well sit down, before you look like an idiot." Yasuhara sat down, keeping a reasonable distance between himself and Kasai.

"I know that you wanted to talk to me about something else, besides the Autumn Equinox,' Kasai stated, looking straight ahead,' as this school is not throwing a festival, and I most certainly don't sing." Yasuhara gave an uneasy chuckle.

"Busted. Look, I...uh...wanted to ask you...um..." Kasai looked at him, trying not to smile.

"Yes?" she asked, bringing her hand up to her mouth to hide her smile. Yasuhara muttered something that sounded like 'muddy fell.'

"I wanted to know if you would be interested in going out for a coffee sometime." Yasuhara then exhaled in a big rush.

"That was harder than I expected." He commented. Kasai started to laugh.

"Did you just ask me out?" she managed to get out between giggles. Yasuhara nodded, blushing slightly. Kasai smiled at him, noticing how his glasses made his grey eyes seem darker. She had waited for ages for him to ask this question.

"I'd love to."

He suddenly leaned forward, and brushed his lips across her mouth.

"Good,' he whispered,' because I wasn't going to take no for an answer."

Kasai decided that she could die happy right then.

* * *

It doesn't matter if the person that you love doesn't notice. If they do notice, then they should act upon it, and grab you before you slip through their fingers and become lost forever. If they don't notice, then they were never worth your time at all. It doesn't matter if your love is unrequited or unconditional; someday, someone will notice.

There's an old saying that soulmates' minds are connected from birth. When you can't sleep, your soulmate can't sleep either.

So the next time, when you're lying awake, know that somewhere, someone else is lying awake too.


End file.
